(LEAD) Military: artillery sound from within North's territory, no shells land in southern waters

SEOUL, Nov. 26 (Yonhap) -- The series of explosion sounds heard Friday on the border island attacked by North Korea earlier this week appear related to training within the North's territory, military officials said.

No shells landed in waters on either side of the Koreas' Yellow Sea border or near Yeonpyeong Island, said Col. Lee Bung-woo, a spokesman at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The firing was not aimed at us, and we believe the sounds were heard as North Korea conducted its routine training within its territory," Lee told reporters.

There were sounds of about six explosions heard intermittently between 12:20 p.m. and a little past 3 p.m., he said.

South Korea's military is on top alert after four people, two marines and two civilians, were killed on Yeonpyeong in the artillery attack by the North on Tuesday afternoon. Eighteen others, mostly marines, were injured, and fire gutted dozens of homes and buildings.

The mere dozens of remaining residents on Yeonpyeong -- most evacuated earlier in the week to the mainland -- fled to shelters at the sound of the explosions. Local officials said main roads have been blocked.

North Korea has just shelled one of your islands, killing two civilians and two Marines. What do you do?

You know that your capital, Seoul, is within artillery range of the North Koreans... and has roughly half of your entire country’s population living in it. You also know that North Korea has many thousands of pre-positioned artillery pieces, much like the ones just used, pre-aimed at Seoul and can be used just as quickly as the others already used.

So, are you really going for full retaliation?

Me, I’d have commandos destroy all the rail lines into China and then blow the NK dams, flooding their rice crops.

Then I’d have my subs sink all their cargo ships (well away from port, so the North Koreans may suspect, but not actually know what happened to their ships)

And as they starve, offer food aid as an enticement for them to come to the table... where I’d then remind them, in front of the world, about their actions. And then ask for recompense.

They’ll refuse, of course. But then, South Korea would then have reason to walk out of the talks. And millions in North Korea would then die, all on the record as having done so because of North Korean intransigence.

But then, that’s me. The Koreans aren’t as bloodthirsty, as it’s their *brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers* up in North Korea.

WIKI sez:
The following is a partial list of border incidents involving North Korea since the armistice of July 27, 1953 froze large scale military action of the Korean War:

1950s
* February 1958: North Korean agents hijack a South Korean airliner to Pyongyang en route from Pusan to Seoul; 1 American pilot, 1 American passenger, 2 West German passengers, and 24 other passengers were released in early March, but 8 other passengers remained in the North.

1960s
* April 27, 1965: Two North Korean MiG-17s attack a United States EC-121 Warning Star reconnaissance plane above the Sea of Japan, 80 km (50 miles) from the North Korean shore. The aircraft was damaged, but managed to land at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

* January 17, 1968: In an incident known as the Blue House Raid, a 31-man detachment from the Korean People’s Army secretly crosses the DMZ on a mission to kill South Korean President Park Chung-hee on January 21, nearly succeeding. The incursion was discovered after South Korean civilians confronted the North Koreans and informed the authorities. After entering Seoul disguised as South Korean soldiers, the North Koreans attempt to enter the Blue House (the official residence of the President of South Korea). The North Koreans are confronted by South Korean police and a firefight ensued. The North Koreans fled Seoul and individually attempted to cross the DMZ back to North Korea. Of the original group of 31 North Koreans, 28 were killed, one was captured, and two are unaccounted for. Additionally, 68 South Koreans were killed and 66 were wounded, the majority of whom were soldiers and police officers. Three American soldiers were also killed and three were wounded.

* January 23, 1968: The United States Naval ship the USS Pueblo is boarded and captured, along with its crew, by North Korean forces in the Sea of Japan, in international waters. The entire crew of 83 is captured, with the exception of one sailor killed in the initial attack on the vessel, and the vessel is taken into North Korean waters. All the captives were released on December 23 of the same year via the Bridge of No Return at the DMZ. The USS Pueblo is still in North Korean possession and is docked in Pyongyang and is on display as a museum ship.

* October 30, 1968: From October 30 to November 2, 120 to 130 North Korean commandos land on the northeast shore of South Korea, allegedly to wage a guerilla war against the South Korean government. A total of 110 to 113 were killed, seven were captured, and 13 escaped. Around 20 South Korean civilians, law enforcment officers, and soldiers were killed.

* March 1969: Six North Korean commandos kill a South Korean police officer near Jumunjin, Gangwon-do. Seven American soldiers are killed in a North Korean attack along the DMZ.

* April 1969: An EC-121, US reconnaissance plane is shot down 90 miles (140 km) east of the North Korean coast, leaving 31 dead.

* November 1969: Four US soldiers are killed by North Koreans in the Demilitarized Zone.

1970s
* April 1970: In Geumchon, a region of Paju south of the DMZ, a clash leaves three North Korean soldiers dead and five South Korean soldiers wounded.

* June 1970: The North Korean navy seizes a broadcast vessel from the South near the Northern Limit Line. 20 crew are captured.

* February 1974: Two South Korean fishing vessels are sunk and 30 crew detained by the North.

* June 1976: An incursion south of the DMZ in Gangwon-do leaves three dead from the North and six from the South.

* August 18, 1976: The Axe Murder Incident — an attempt to clear brush in the Demilitarized Zone near Panmunjom ends with two US soldiers dead.

* October 1979: Three North Koreans enter the eastern DMZ. One is killed.

* December 1979: One US Army Soldier killed, 3 US Soldiers wounded after stumbling into a North Korean minefield in a heavy fog while patrolling DMZ. One body is recovered from the North Koreans 5 days later.

1980s
* March 1980: Three North Koreans are killed while trying to cross the Han River estuary.

* March 1981: Three North Koreans try to enter the South in Geumhwa-eup, Cheorwon, Gangwon-do; one is killed.

* July 1981: Three North Koreans are killed trying to cross the Imjin River to the South.

* November 1984: Three North Korean soldiers and one South Korean soldier die, and one American soldier is wounded during the firefight that erupted when a North Korean security detail chased a defecting Soviet citizen (Vasily Matusak) across the MDL into the southern-controlled sector of the Joint Security Area.

1990s
* May 1992: Three Northern soldiers in South Korean uniforms are killed in Cheolwon, Gangwon-do; three South Korean soldiers are wounded.

* May 1995: North Korean forces fire on a South Korean fishing boat, killing three.

* October 1995: Two armed North Koreans are discovered at the Imjin River; one is killed.

* April 1996: Several hundred armed North Korean troops cross repeatedly into the Demilitarized Zone.

* May 1996: Seven Northern soldiers cross south of the Demilitarized Zone, but retreat after warning shots are fired.

* May & June 1996: North Korean vessels twice cross the Northern Limit Line and have a several-hour standoff with the South Korean navy.

* April 1997: Five North Korean soldiers cross the Demilitarized Zone in Cheolwon, Gangwon-do, and fire on South Korean positions.

* June 1997: Three North Korean vessels cross the Northern Limit Line and attack South Korean vessels two miles (3 km) south of the line. On land, fourteen North Korean soldiers cross 70 m south of the center of the DMZ, leading to a 23-minute exchange of fire.

* June 1999: A series of clashes between North and South Korean vessels take place in the Yellow Sea near the Northern Limit Line.

2000s
* 2001: On twelve separate occasions, North Korean vessels cross the Northern Limit Line and then retreat.

* November 27, 2001: North and South Korean forces exchange fire without injuries.

* June 29, 2002: Renewed naval clashes near the Northern Limit Line lead to the deaths of four South Korean sailors and the sinking of a North Korean vessel. The number of North Koreans killed is unknown.

* November 16, 2002: South Korean forces fire warning shots on a Northern boat crossing the Northern Limit Line. The boat retreats. The incident is repeated on November 20.

* February 19, 2003: A North Korean fighter plane crosses seven miles (11 km) south of the Northern Limit Line, and returns north after being intercepted by six South Korean planes.

* March 2, 2003: Four North Korean fighter jets intercept a US reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan.

* July 17, 2003: North and South Korean forces exchange fire at the DMZ around 6 AM. The South Korean army reports four rounds fired from the North and seventeen from the South. No injuries are reported.

* November 1, 2004: North Korean vessels, claiming to be in pursuit of illegal fishing craft, cross the Northern Limit Line and are fired upon by the South. The vessels retreat 3 hours later.

* July 30, 2006: Several rounds are exchanged near a South Korean post in Yanggu, Gangwon.

* November 10, 2009: Naval vessels from the two Koreas exchanged fire in the area of the NLL, reportedly causing serious damage to a North Korean patrol ship. For more details of this incident, see Battle of Daecheong.

2010
* March 26, 2010: A South Korean naval vessel, the ROKS Cheonan, was sunk by an explosion near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. A rescue operation recovered 58 survivors but 46 sailors were lost. On May 20, 2010, a South Korean led international investigation group concluded that the sinking of the warship was in fact the result of a North Korean torpedo attack. North Korea denied involvement. The United Nations Security Council made a Presidential Statement condemning the attack but without identifying the attacker.

* November 23, 2010: North Korea fired artillery at South Korea’s Big Yeonpyeong island in the Yellow Sea and South Korea returned fire. Two South Korean marines and two South Korean civilians were killed, six were seriously wounded, and ten were treated for minor injuries. About 70 South Korean houses were destroyed.

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